Apparatus and method for authenticating object in electronic device

ABSTRACT

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device comprises an antenna array, a wireless communication module electrically connected to the antenna array and configured to form directional beams through the antenna array, at least one processor operatively connected to the wireless communication module; and a memory operatively connected to the at least one processor. The memory stores instructions causing the at least one processor to perform a plurality of operations comprising: transmitting a sequence of first directional beams having a first beam width to scan first regions having a first sizethrough the antenna array, receiving a sequence of first reflected waves generated by reflection of the sequence of the first directional beams from an object through the antenna array, transmitting a sequence of second directional beams having a second beam width narrower than the first beam width to scan second regions, which are included in the first regions and have a second size smaller than the first size, through the antenna array based on at least a portion of the received sequence of the first reflected waves, receiving a sequence of second reflected waves generated by reflection of the sequence of the second directional beams from the object through the antenna array, and authenticating the object based on at least a portion of the sequence of the second reflected waves.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 toKorean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0080513, filed on Jul. 11, 2018,in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which isherein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1) Field

The disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method for authenticatingan object in an electronic device.

2) Description of Related Art

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination hasbeen made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.

As the performance of electronic devices has improved, the variety ofservices and additional functions provided through the electronic devicehas gradually expanded. In order to increase the value of the electronicdevices and meet various demands of users, various applications that areexecutable by the electronic device have been developed.

Due to the high amount of personal data that an electronic device maycarry, it becomes important to verify authorization of the user beforeproviding access to the electronic device.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, an electronic device isprovided. The electronic device comprises an antenna array, a wirelesscommunication module electrically connected to the antenna array andconfigured to form directional beams through the antenna array, at leastone processor operatively connected to the wireless communicationmodule; and a memory operatively connected to the at least oneprocessor. The memory stores instructions causing the at least oneprocessor to perform a plurality of operations comprising: transmittinga sequence of first directional beams having a first beam width to scanfirst regions having a first size through the antenna array, receiving asequence of first reflected waves generated by reflection of thesequence of the first directional beams from an object through theantenna array, transmitting a sequence of second directional beamshaving a second beam width narrower than the first beam width to scansecond regions, which are included in the first regions and have asecond size smaller than the first size, through the antenna array basedon at least a portion of the received sequence of the first reflectedwaves, receiving a sequence of second reflected waves generated byreflection of the sequence of the second directional beams from theobject through the antenna array, and authenticating the object based onat least a portion of the sequence of the second reflected waves.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, there is providedan electronic device. The electronic device comprises a camera, anantenna array, a wireless communication module electrically connected tothe antenna array and configured to form directional beams through theantenna array, a sensor module configured to sense an intensity ofillumination, and at least one processor operatively connected to thecamera, the wireless communication module, and the sensor module. The atleast one processor is configured to identify brightness around theelectronic device through the sensor module, perform a first objectauthentication operation through the antenna array and the wirelesscommunication module when the sensed brightness is equal to or lowerthan a set level, and perform a second object authentication operationthrough the camera, the antenna array and the wireless communicationmodule when the sensed brightness is higher than the set level. Thefirst object authentication operation transmits a sequence of firstdirectional beams having a first beam width to scan first regions havinga first size through the antenna array, receives a sequence of firstreflected waves generated by reflection of the sequence of the firstdirectional beams from an object through the antenna array, transmits asequence of second directional beams having a second beam width narrowerthan the first beam width to scan second regions, which are included inthe first regions and have a second size smaller than the first size,through the antenna array based on at least a portion of the receivedsequence of the first reflected waves, receives a sequence of secondreflected waves generated by reflection of the sequence of the seconddirectional beams from the object through the antenna array, andauthenticates the object based on at least a portion of the sequence ofthe second reflected waves.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure there is presented amethod of authenticating an object by an electronic device. The methodcomprises transmitting a sequence of first directional beams having afirst beam width to scan first regions having a first size through anantenna array, receiving a sequence of first reflected waves generatedby reflection of the sequence of the first directional beams from anobject through the antenna array, transmitting a sequence of seconddirectional beams having a second beam width narrower than the firstbeam width to scan second regions, which are included in the firstregions and have a second size smaller than the first size, through theantenna array based on at least a portion of the received sequence ofthe first reflected waves, receiving a sequence of second reflectedwaves generated by reflection of the sequence of the second directionalbeams from the object through the antenna array, and authenticating theobject based on at least a portion of the sequence of the secondreflected waves.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method ofauthenticating an object by an electronic device is provided. The methodincludes: sensing a brightness around the electronic device through asensor module; performing a first object authentication operationthrough an antenna array and a wireless communication module when thesensed brightness is lower than a set level; and performing a secondobject authentication operation for authenticating the object through animage acquired by a camera and signals received through the antennaarray and the wireless communication module when the sensed brightnessis higher than the set level. The first object authentication operationmay transmit a sequence of first directional beams having a first beamwidth to scan first regions having a first size through the antennaarray, receive a sequence of first reflected waves generated byreflection of the sequence of the first directional beams from an objectthrough the antenna array, transmit a sequence of second directionalbeams having a second beam width narrower than the first beam width toscan second regions, which are included in the first regions and have asecond size smaller than the first size, through the antenna array basedon at least a portion of the received sequence of the first reflectedwaves, receive a sequence of second reflected waves generated byreflection of the sequence of the second directional beams from theobject through the antenna array, and authenticate the object based onat least a portion of the sequence of the second reflected waves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device within anetwork environment according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates the configuration of an electronic device accordingto certain embodiments;

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B illustrate a method by which an electronic devicedetermines first beams and second beams according to certainembodiments;

FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B, FIG. 4C, FIG. 4D, and FIG. 4E illustrate a method bywhich an electronic device determines beams according to certainembodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates an operation in which an electronic device determinesacquired object information as templates through machine learningaccording to certain embodiments;

FIG. 6 illustrates the configuration of an electronic device accordingto certain embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an object authentication operation ofan electronic device according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 8 illustrates a method by which an electronic device controls beamsfor object authentication according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 9 illustrates a method by which an electronic device authenticatesan object by determining liveness of the object according to certainembodiments;

FIG. 10 illustrates the configuration of an electronic device accordingto certain embodiments;

FIG. 11 illustrates the configuration of an electronic device accordingto certain embodiments;

FIG. 12 illustrates the configuration of an electronic device forperforming a second object authentication operation according to certainembodiments; and

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method by which an electronicdevice authenticates an object on the basis of a camera image and beamsaccording to certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, certain embodiments of the disclosure will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As the performance of electronic devices has improved, the variety ofservices and additional functions provided through the electronic devicehas gradually expanded. In order to increase the value of the electronicdevices and meet various demands of users, various applications that areexecutable by the electronic device have been developed.

Among the applications are applications related to a camera function,and a user may capture themselves or a background through a cameramodule mounted to the electronic device. For example, the electronicdevice may perform an authentication function on the basis of an imageof an object captured using the camera module. For example, the objectmay be a face or an iris.

Face recognition mechanisms mainly used by an electronic device may usea method using only an image of an object acquired by an RGB camera or amethod of authenticating an object by combining an image of an objectacquired by an RGB camera and depth information acquired by a depthcamera. The method using only the image of the object acquired by theRGB camera may be vulnerable to manipulation by a third party (forexample, malicious spoofing attacks using photos or images stored in asmart phone). For, the method using both the RGB camera and the depthcamera, the electronic device is required to include a plurality ofcamera modules, and it may be difficult for the electronic device to usethe method of authenticating the object through the cameras when ambientbrightness is low.

The electronic device according to certain embodiments may provide anapparatus and a method for authenticating an object through a wirelesscommunication module.

The electronic device according to certain embodiments may provide anapparatus and a method for authenticating an object through amillimeter-wave device when ambient brightness is out of a specificrange.

A method of authenticating an object by an electronic device accordingto certain embodiments can rapidly search for sections in which theobject exists by estimating the location of the object throughbeamforming of wide beams and authenticate the object throughbeamforming of narrow beams in sections in which object exists.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic device includes acamera and a wireless communication module, and is able to acquireobject information through the camera and the wireless communicationmodule when brightness around a subject is brighter than or equal to aset brightness and acquire object information through the wirelesscommunication module when brightness around the subject is darker thanthe set brightness, so as to authenticate the object.

The electronic device according to certain embodiments can perform anobject authentication operation through a millimeter-wave device withoutinformation on an image of an object.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 in anetwork environment 100 according to certain embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 1, the electronic device 101 in the networkenvironment 100 may communicate with an electronic device 102 via afirst network 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network),or an electronic device 104 or a server 108 via a second network 199(e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to anembodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicate with theelectronic device 104 via the server 108. According to an embodiment,the electronic device 101 may include a processor 120 (hereinafter, “aprocessor” shall include both the singular context and the pluralcontext), memory 130, an input device 150, a sound output device 155, adisplay device 160, an audio module 170, a sensor module 176, aninterface 177, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180, a powermanagement module 188, a battery 189, a communication module 190, asubscriber identification module (SIM) 196, or an antenna module 197. Insome embodiments, at least one (e.g., the display device 160 or thecamera module 180) of the components may be omitted from the electronicdevice 101, or one or more other components may be added in theelectronic device 101. In some embodiments, some of the components maybe implemented as single integrated circuitry. For example, the sensormodule 176 (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or anilluminance sensor) may be implemented as embedded in the display device160 (e.g., a display).

The processor 120 may execute, for example, instructions stored in thememory 130 (e.g., a program 140) to control at least one other component(e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device 101coupled with the processor 120, and may perform various data processingor computation. According to an embodiment, as at least part of the dataprocessing or computation, the processor 120 may load a command or datareceived from another component (e.g., the sensor module 176 or thecommunication module 190) in volatile memory 132, process the command orthe data stored in the volatile memory 132, and store resulting data innon-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)or an application processor (AP)), and an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g.,a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), asensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that isoperable independently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor121. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 123 may beadapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or to bespecific to a specified function. The auxiliary processor 123 may beimplemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor 121.

The auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of functions orstates related to at least one component (e.g., the display device 160,the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) among thecomponents of the electronic device 101, instead of the main processor121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state,or together with the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 isin an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to anembodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processoror a communication processor) may be implemented as part of anothercomponent (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190)functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component(e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176) of the electronicdevice 101. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g.,the program 140) and input data or output data for a command relatedthererto. The memory 130 may include the volatile memory 132 or thenon-volatile memory 134.

The program 140 may be stored in the memory 130 as software, and mayinclude, for example, an operating system (OS) 142, middleware 144, oran application 146.

The input device 150 may receive a command or data to be used by othercomponent (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101, fromthe outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The inputdevice 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, or akeyboard.

The sound output device 155 may output sound signals to the outside ofthe electronic device 101. The sound output device 155 may include, forexample, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for generalpurposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record, and the receivermay be used for an incoming calls. According to an embodiment, thereceiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display device 160 may visually provide information to the outside(e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The display device 160 mayinclude, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector andcontrol circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display,hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the displaydevice 160 may include touch circuitry adapted to detect a touch, orsensor circuitry (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measure theintensity of force incurred by the touch.

The audio module 170 may convert a sound into an electrical signal andvice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtainthe sound via the input device 150, or output the sound via the soundoutput device 155 or a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g.,an electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly coupledwith the electronic device 101.

The sensor module 176 may detect an operational state (e.g., power ortemperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state(e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 101, andthen generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to thedetected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 mayinclude, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmosphericpressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gripsensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, abiometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or anilluminance sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols to be usedfor the electronic device 101 to be coupled with the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wiredly) orwirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include,for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universalserial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or anaudio interface.

A connecting terminal 178 may include a connector via which theelectronic device 101 may be physically connected with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to anembodiment, the connecting terminal 178 may include, for example, a HDMIconnector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector(e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanicalstimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus whichmay be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinestheticsensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 mayinclude, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electricstimulator.

The camera module 180 may capture a still image or moving images.According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one ormore lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the power managementmodule 188 may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a powermanagement integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 mayinclude, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, asecondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g.,wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel betweenthe electronic device 101 and the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108) andperforming communication via the established communication channel. Thecommunication module 190 may include one or more communicationprocessors that are operable independently from the processor 120 (e.g.,the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired)communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment,the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wirelesscommunication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a localarea network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication(PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules maycommunicate with the external electronic device via the first network198 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™,wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA))or the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network,such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g.,LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These various types of communicationmodules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip),or may be implemented as multi components (e.g., multi chips) separatefrom each other. The wireless communication module 192 may identify andauthenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network, suchas the first network 198 or the second network 199, using subscriberinformation (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI))stored in the subscriber identification module 196.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to orfrom the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the antenna module197 may include one or more antennas, and, therefrom, at least oneantenna appropriate for a communication scheme used in the communicationnetwork, such as the first network 198 or the second network 199, may beselected, for example, by the communication module 190 (e.g., thewireless communication module 192). The signal or the power may then betransmitted or received between the communication module 190 and theexternal electronic device via the selected at least one antenna.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutuallyand communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via aninter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purposeinput and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobileindustry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted orreceived between the electronic device 101 and the external electronicdevice 104 via the server 108 coupled with the second network 199. Eachof the electronic devices 102 and 104 may be a device of a same type as,or a different type, from the electronic device 101. According to anembodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronicdevice 101 may be executed at one or more of the external electronicdevices 102, 104, or 108. For example, if the electronic device 101should perform a function or a service automatically, or in response toa request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101,instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service,may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform atleast part of the function or the service. The one or more externalelectronic devices receiving the request may perform the at least partof the function or the service requested, or an additional function oran additional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome ofthe performing to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101may provide the outcome, with or without further processing of theoutcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, acloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computingtechnology may be used, for example.

An electronic device according to certain embodiments disclosed hereinmay be various types of devices. The electronic devices may include, forexample, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone), acomputer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medicaldevice, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According toan embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic devices are not limitedto those described above.

It should be appreciated that certain embodiments of the disclosure andthe terms used therein are not intended to limit the technologicalfeatures set forth herein to particular embodiments and include variouschanges, equivalents, or replacements for a corresponding embodiment.With regard to the description of the drawings, similar referencenumerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It is tobe understood that a singular form of a noun corresponding to an itemmay include one or more of the things, unless the relevant contextclearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of such phrases as “Aor B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B, orC,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C,” mayinclude all possible combinations of the items enumerated together in acorresponding one of the phrases. As used herein, such terms as “1st”and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” may be used to simply distinguish acorresponding component from another, and does not limit the componentsin other aspect (e.g., importance or order). It is to be understood thatif an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to, with or withoutthe term “operatively” or “communicatively”, as “coupled with,” or“connected with,”, it means that the element may be coupled with theother element directly (e.g., wiredly), wirelessly, or via a thirdelement.

As used herein, the term “module” may include a unit implemented inhardware, or hardware storing instructions, and may interchangeably beused with other terms, for example, “logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or“circuitry”. A module may be a single integral component, or a minimumunit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. Forexample, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in aform of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Certain embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as memorystoring executable instructions which electrically, chemically, ormagnetically alter the memory (e.g., the program 140) including one ormore instructions that are stored in a storage medium (e.g., internalmemory 136 or external memory 138) that is readable by a machine (e.g.,the electronic device 101). For example, a processor (e.g., theprocessor 120) of the machine (e.g., the electronic device 101) mayinvoke at least one of the one or more instructions stored in thestorage medium, and execute it. This allows the machine to be operatedto perform at least one function according to the invoked at least oneinstruction. The one or more instructions may include a code generatedby a complier or a code executable by an interpreter. Themachine-readable storage media may be provided in the form ofnon-transitory storage media. Wherein, the term “non-transitory” simplymeans that the storage medium is a tangible device, and does not includea signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave), but this term does notdifferentiate between where data is semi-permanently stored in thestorage medium and where the data is temporarily stored in the storagemedium.

According to an embodiment, a method according to certain embodiments ofthe disclosure may be included and provided in a computer programproduct. The computer program product may be traded as a product betweena seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed inthe form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded)online via an application store (e.g., Play Store™), or between two userdevices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at leastpart of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or atleast temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such asmemory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store,or a relay server.

According to certain embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described components may include a single entityor multiple entities. According to certain embodiments, one or morecomponents of the above-described components or operations may beomitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added.Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., modulesor programs) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case,according to certain embodiments, the integrated component may stillperform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components inthe same or similar manner as they are performed by a corresponding oneof the plurality of components before the integration. According tocertain embodiments, operations performed by the module, the program, oranother component may be carried out sequentially, in parallel,repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may beexecuted in a different order or omitted, or one or more otheroperations may be added.

FIG. 2 illustrates the configuration of an electronic device (forexample, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1) according to certainembodiments.

Referring to FIG. 2, the electronic device 101 may include a processor200, a memory 210, a wireless communication module 220, an antenna array230, and a display 240.

In certain embodiments, the electronic device 101 is configured toauthenticate an object by transmitting directional beams by the antennaarray 230, and receiving reflected signals. The antenna array 230 can becontrolled by the processor 200. The processor 200 can executedinstructions that are stored in the memory 210.

In certain embodiments, the processor 200 can control the antenna array230 to transmit first direction beams having a first beam width throughthe antenna array. The antenna array can then receive a sequence offirst reflected waves generated by reflection of the first directionbeams. The processor can then cause the antenna array to transmitnarrower beams and authenticate the object based on at least a portionof the sequence of the reflected waves from the narrower beams.

The electronic device 101 may include a housing (not shown). The housingmay include a first plate facing a first direction, a second platefacing a direction opposite that of the first plate, and a side membersurrounding a space between the first plate and the second plate.

The wireless communication module 220 (for example, the wirelesscommunication module 192 of FIG. 1) may be electrically connected to theantenna array 230, and may be configured to form a directional beamthrough the antenna array. For example, the wireless communicationmodule 220 may be a millimeter (mm)-wave device, and may be configuredto transmit and/or receive frequencies from 3 GHz to 100 GHz. Theantenna array 230 may be disposed inside and/or on a portion of thehousing. The antenna array 230 may transmit a sequence of at least onedirectional beam in the second direction through the selected antennaarray 230.

The display 240 (for example, the display device 160 of FIG. 1) mayvisually provide information (for example, images captured by the cameramodule) to the outside of the electronic device 101. The display 240 maybe exposed through a first part of the first plate of the housing.

The memory 210 (for example, the memory 130 of FIG. 1) may store variousdata used by the processor 200. The memory 210 may store executableinstructions (for example, the program 140 of FIG. 1) to drive alearning engine for recognizing a reflected wave received by thewireless communication module 220.

According to certain embodiments, the memory 210 may store instructionscausing the processor 200 to perform operations of configuring a beamwidth and authenticating an object. The instructions stored in thememory 210 may cause the processor 200 to transmit a sequence of firstdirectional beams having a first beam width in order to scan a firstregion outside the housing having a first area through the antenna array230. The instructions stored in the memory 210 may cause the processor200 to receive a sequence of first reflected waves generated byreflection of the sequence of the first directional beams from theobject through the antenna array 230 and transmit a sequence of seconddirectional beams having a second beam width smaller than the first beamwidth in order to scan a second region, which is included in the firstarea and has a second area smaller than the first area, through theantenna array 230 on the basis of at least a portion of the receivedsequence of the first reflected waves. The instructions stored in thememory 210 may cause the processor 200 to receive the sequence of thesecond reflected waves generated by reflection of the sequence of thesecond directional beams from the object through the antenna array 230and authenticate the object on the basis of at least a portion of thesequence of the second reflected waves.

According to certain embodiments, the memory 210 may store at least onetemplate generated by learning. For example, the template may include atleast one template among a template for identifying presence of theobject, a template for determining liveness (the likelihood that theobject is part of a human body) of the object, or a template forauthenticating the object. According to certain embodiments, the memory210 may store information on the location (for example, coordinates ofthe region for scanning for the object) for presence, liveness, and/orobject authentication in the image of the identified object.

The processor 200 (for example, the processor 120 of FIG. 1) may belocated within the housing and may be operatively connected to thewireless communication module 220, the antenna array 230 and the display240. By the instructions stored in the memory 210, the processor 200 maytransmit the sequence of the first directional beams (hereinafter,referred to as a first beam) having the first beam width for determininga distance and a range of the object located in a scan region, determineand transmit the sequence of the second directional beams (hereinafter,referred to as a second beam) having the second beam width in accordancewith the distance and the range determined on the basis of the reflectedwave of the first beam, acquire object information (3D depthinformation) on the basis of the reflected wave of the second beam, andmatch the acquired object information with the template of the memory210 so as to authenticate the object.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic device 101 maydetermine a range for estimating depth information of a subject which isthe object to be authenticated. The electronic device 101 may use adepth sensor capable of estimating depth information of the object inorder to authenticate the object. The depth sensor may be a device (forexample, a millimeter-wave device) including the antenna array 230 andthe wireless communication module 220. For example, the millimeter-wavedevice may transmit a wireless signal for estimating depth information,corresponding to each pixel acquired through an image sensor of thecamera, to the object and receive a signal reflected from the object.The millimeter-wave device may estimate a distance between theelectronic device 101 and the object on the basis of a Time-of-Flight(TOF) value of the beam. The electronic device 101 may calculate a rangeof the object in order to limit the range of beamforming as much aspossible and control a direction of the beam according to the distancebetween the object and the electronic device 101. The electronic device101 may transmit the first beam for calculating the distance from theobject in the first direction in which the object is located and therange of the object, determine the second beam for precisely scanningfor the object on the basis of the range and the distance determinedaccording to the first beam, transmit the determined second beam in thesecond direction in which the object is located, and receive a reflectedsignal including object information according to reflection of thesecond beam.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a method by which the electronic device (forexample, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1) determines a first beamand a second beam according to certain embodiments.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic device 101 may transmita beam to a scan region in which an object exists through themillimeter-wave device and receive a signal reflected from the object inthe scan region so as to extract depth information, and may authenticatethe object on the basis of the extracted depth information. The scanregion may be in a first direction of the electronic device (forexample, the direction that the camera is pointing) and may be a regionincluding an object. For example, the scan region may be a region inwhich an image from an object within a view angle of the image sensor ofthe camera can be acquired. In certain embodiments, the first beams canbe used to determine with higher granularity the distance of an object,while the second beams determine the distance of features on the objectwith finer granularity and higher resolution (such as, by havingnarrower beams). The electronic device 101 may determine a distance fromthe object and a range of the object through the first beam, form asecond beam in accordance with the distance and the range determinedusing the reflected signal of the first beam (first reflected wave)reflected from the object, transmit the second beam in the direction ofthe object, and acquire object information (3D-depth information) on thebasis of the reflected signal of the second beam (second reflected wave)reflected from the object.

Referring to FIG. 3A, according to certain embodiments, the electronicdevice 101 may split a scan region 300 into a plurality of first regions(m*n regions) having a first area (size) and generate first beams 340having a first beam width in order to scan the m*n split first regions.In certain embodiments, the scan region 300 can comprise a rectangulararea located a certain distance from the electronic device andsubstantially (or within 3 degrees) parallel to the display. Forexample, the distance from the display can be 1 foot/30 cm (an averagedistance of the users face from the display when using the electronicdevice).

FIG. 3A illustrates an example of splitting of the scan region 300 into16 (m=4, n=4) first regions 311 to 326. For example, the scan region 300may include 16 first regions 311 to 326 having the same size (area). Anobject 330 may be located inside the scan region 300 (located inside mayinclude that the scan region 300 “splices” the object). FIG. 3Aillustrates an example in which the object 330 is located at the centerof the scan region 300. For example, the scan region 300 may include aplurality of first regions 311 to 315, 318, 319, and 322 to 326 in whichthe object 330 does not exist and at least one first region, thecontiguous region formed by regions 316, 317, 320, and 321 in which theobject 330 exists.

The electronic device 101 according to certain embodiments may transmitthe first beams 340 to the set location of the first region (forexample, the central location) corresponding to each thereof bycontrolling an azimuth and elevation of one or more first beams 340. Theelectronic device 101 may transmit the first beams 340 to the firstregions 311 to 326 of the scan region 300 sequentially or on the basisof the set order by controlling the azimuth and the elevation of thefirst beams 340. According to an embodiment, the first beams 340transmitted to the first regions 311 to 326 may be sized such that thefirst beams 340 can be applied to the entire first regions. According toan embodiment, the first beams 340 transmitted to the first regions 311to 326 may be sized such that the first beams 340 can be applied to aportion of the corresponding first regions. When the first beams 340 aresized such that the first beams 340 can be applied to the portion of thecorresponding first regions, the first beams 340 may be transmitted tothe central location or the set location of the corresponding firstregions.

The electronic device 101 according to certain embodiments may recognizeor detect the object 330 by receiving the reflected wave signals of thefirst beams 340 reflected from the first regions 311 to 326 of the scanregion 300. For example, the first beams 340 may be transmitted to oneof the first region 311, in which the object 330 does not exist, and maybe transmitted to the another one of the first region 316, in which theobject 330 exists. The electronic device 101 may not receive thereflected wave signal of the first beam 340 reflected from the firstregion 311 or may receive a reflected wave having no set value. Theelectronic device 101 may receive the reflected wave signal of the firstbeam 340 reflected from the first region 316 and recognize the presenceof the object 330 on the basis of the received reflected wave signal.

The electronic device 101 may identify the presence of the object in thefirst region on the basis of the first reflected wave signal reflectedfrom the object 330 through the antenna array 230. For example, noreflected waves reflected from the first regions 311 to 315, 318, 319,and 322 to 326 are received because the object does not exist. There arereflected waves from the first regions 316, 317, 320, and 321 may havedifferent time of flight (TOF) values. For example, the first reflectedwave of the first beam 340 reflected from the first region 311 may nothave a set TOF value, but the first reflected wave of the first beam 340reflected from the first region 316 may satisfy the set TOF value. Theelectronic device 101 may estimate the first regions (for example, theregions 316, 317, 320, or 321) which meet the set TOF value as regionsin which the object 330 exists on the basis of the first beams 340 andthe first reflected waves.

Referring to FIG. 3B, the electronic device 101 may perform a precisescan operation on the first regions (for example, the first regions 316,317, 320, and 321 of FIG. 3A) including the object 330, but not thefirst regions (for example, the first regions 311 to 315, 318, 319, and322 to 326 of FIG. 3A), which are not included in the object region 310,in the scan region 300. The electronic device 101 may split the firstregions 316, 317, 320, and 321, in which the object 300 exists, into aplurality of second regions (M*N regions) having a second area smallerthan the first area and generate second beams 370 having a second beamwidth smaller than the first beam width in order to precisely scan eachof the M*N second regions. FIG. 3B illustrates an example of splittingthe first regions in which the object exists into 16 (M=4, N=4) secondregions 351 to 366. For example, in order to precisely scan the firstregions 316, 317, 320, and 321 in which the object 330 exists, theelectronic device 101 may split each of the first regions into secondregions 351 to 366 having a smaller size than each of the first regions.

The electronic device 101 may transmit the second beams to the secondregions 351 to 366 sequentially or on the basis of a set order bycontrolling an azimuth and elevation of the second beams. The beam widthof the second beams may have a range smaller than the beam width of thefirst beams. FIG. 3B illustrates an example in which the second beam 370is applied to the second region 351. According to an embodiment, thesecond beams transmitted to the second regions 351 to 366 may be sizedsuch that the second beams can be applied to the entire area of thesecond regions. According to an embodiment, the second beams transmittedto the second regions 351 to 366 may be sized such that the second beamscan be applied to a portion of the second region (for example, theregion 351). When the second beams 370 are sized so as to be capable ofbeing applied to the portion of the second region (for example, theregion 351), the second beams 370 may be transmitted to the centrallocation or the set location of the second region (for example, theregion 351).

In certain embodiments, the distances of the objection from the devicein each of the second regions 351 to 366 inside the first regions 316,317, 320, and 321. The collection of distances can substantially be usedto determine what the object 330 is, such as a user's face.

The electronic device 101 according to certain embodiments mayauthenticate the object 330 by receiving reflected wave signals of thesecond beams 370 reflected from the second regions 351 to 366 of thefirst region (for example, the first region 316, 317, 320, or 321) inwhich the object 330 exists.

According to certain embodiments, the first beams may use beams having arelatively wider beam width than the second beams, and the second beamsmay acquire detailed object information (high-resolution objectinformation) using beams having a narrow beam width. According to anembodiment, in order to reduce the time spent estimating the range ofthe object, the electronic device 101 may first estimate the range ofthe object by transmitting the first beams having the wider beam widthto the first regions 311 to 326 of the scan region 300. The electronicdevice 101 may estimate the first regions 316, 317, 320, and 321 inwhich the object exists on the basis of the first reflected waves. Inorder to acquire information of high resolution in the first regions316, 317, 320, and 321 in which the existence of the object isestimated, the electronic device 101 may receive the second reflectedwaves by transmitting the second beams, having the narrower beam width,to the second regions 351 to 366 corresponding to the first region (forexample, the region 317) as illustrated in FIG. 3B. The electronicdevice 101 may authenticate the object on the basis of the secondreflected high-resolution waves.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic device 101 may reduce abeam-processing time by transmitting the second beams only to selectedfirst regions (for example, at least one of the first regions 316, 317,320, and 321 of FIG. 3B) in which the object exists in the scan region300 and secure the reflected high-resolution signals by precisely makingbeams for the regions in which the object exists.

FIGS. 4A to 4E illustrates a method by which the electronic device (forexample, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1) determines beams accordingto certain embodiments.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example in which the electronic device 101determines the distance from the object and the range of the objectthrough first beams. Referring to FIG. 4A, the electronic device 101 maydetermine the scan region 300 for identifying the object 330. Forexample, the scan region 300 may be a view angle of the camera. Theelectronic device 101 may separate the scan region 300 into firstregions having a first area (for example, the first regions 311 to 326of FIG. 3A) and transmit the first beams 340 for estimating the distancefrom the object and the range thereof to the split first regions 311 to326. When the electronic device 101 detects the location of the objectin the scan region 300 on the basis of the second beams, having thenarrower beam width, for authenticating the object, it may take a longtime. When the location of the object 330 cannot be known, theelectronic device 101 may split the scan region 300 into larger regionsto identify the location of the object 330, and may precisely scan theregions 310, in which the location of the object 330 is identified, inorder to authenticate the object. For example, in order to rapidlydetect the object, the electronic device 101 may split the scan region300 into predetermined areas (for example, first areas (for example, thefirst regions 311 to 326 of FIG. 3A), transmit beams having a wider beamwidth (for example, the first beams 340) to the first regions throughbeamforming, and estimate the regions 310 in which the object 330 existson the basis of the signals reflected from the first regions. Theelectronic device 101 may authenticate the object 330 by preciselyscanning the regions 310 in which the object exists.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example in which the scan region 300 is splitinto 16 first regions. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, a user's facecorresponding to the object 330 may be located in a part of the scanregion 300. For example, the scan region 300 may be a view angle (anarea of a*b) of the camera. Here, a may be the horizontal size of thescreen and b may be the vertical size of the screen. The electronicdevice 101 may transmit the first beams 340 to the first regions (forexample, the first regions 311 to 326 of FIG. 3) and identify the objectlocation region 310 (for example, the first regions 316, 317, 320, and321 of FIGS. 3A and 3B) in which the object 330 exists through thesignals reflected from the first regions 311 to 326. The object locationregion 310 may include at least one first region (for example, the firstregions 316, 317, 320, and 321) of FIGS. 3A and 3B). According to anembodiment, the electronic device 101 may transmit the first beams 340to the 16 first regions 311 to 326 according to a set order and receivereflected waves of the first beams 340 reflected from the 16 firstregions 311 to 326. The electronic device 101 may estimate the objectlocation region 310 on the basis of reflected wave information (forexample, TOF, phase, and amplitude). For example, a reflected wavereception time (for example, TOF) of the object location region 310 maybe shorter than a reflected reception time of a region in which theobject does not exist. The object location region 310 may be estimatedas at least one first region value.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic device 101 may rapidlyfind the range of the target by controlling the size of the first beams340 and transmitting the controlled first beams to larger regions. Forexample, although FIG. 4A illustrates the transmission of beams to atotal of 16 sections, the beams may be changed to be larger andtransmitted to 8 sections generated by grouping the 16 sections by 2.Such an operation may be repeated several times with no limit on thenumber of times. When transmission is performed according to IEEE802.11ad, the electronic device 101 may transmit the first beams 340 oneat a time and thus repeat the transmission a total of 16 times. When thenumber of antenna array sets is 2 or more, the electronic device 101 maysimultaneously calculate reflected signals by splitting the regions intofirst regions. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 mayuse a transmission frequency band of several GHz or higher (for example,3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz) and transmit beams through an Ultra-Wide Band (UWB)providing a speed of 100 Mbps or faster. According to certainembodiments, the electronic device 101 may perform object authenticationusing another protocol that may support beamforming other than IEEE802.11ad or UWB and receive reflected waves generated by reflection ofbeams from the object.

FIG. 4B illustrates the relationship between an aspect ratio and a viewangle, and FIGS. 4C and 4D illustrate a method of determining an azimuthand elevation of a specific point on the basis of the aspect ratio andthe view angle.

According to certain embodiments, in order to transmit beams to splitregions (for example, first regions or second regions) through themillimeter-wave device, the electronic device 101 may control an angleof the beams. The electronic device 101 may use the aspect ratio and theview angle of the camera in order to control the angle of the beams. InFIG. 4B, a and b may indicate ratios of the width and the length of thescreen, c may indicate a diagonal length of the screen, and a may be aview angle of the camera. The view angle of the camera may be an angleat a diagonal corner, and the electronic device 101 may calculate acamera angle in a direction of line and a camera angle in a direction ofline b on the basis of the view angle. The distance from the objectcannot be initially known, and therefore the view angle may becalculated on the basis of a maximum view angle of the camera.

When the object is mapped at the distance of x from the electronicdevice 101 with the view angle α, the central point of the object may be(x, 0, 0), as illustrated in FIG. 4C. x may be expressed as Equation(1), and an azimuth β and an elevation γ of a specific point (x, y, z)may be calculated as Equation (2).

$\begin{matrix}{x = {\frac{c}{2\tan \; \frac{\alpha}{2}} = {\frac{\sqrt{a^{2} + b^{2}}}{2\tan \; \frac{\alpha}{2}}↵}}} & {{Equation}\mspace{14mu} (1)} \\{{\beta = {{\tan^{- 1}\frac{y}{x}} = {\tan^{- 1}\frac{2y\; \tan \; \frac{\alpha}{2}}{\sqrt{a^{2} + b^{2}}}↵}}}{\gamma = {{\tan^{- 1}\frac{z}{x}} = {\tan^{- 1}\frac{2z\; \tan \; \frac{\alpha}{2}}{\sqrt{a^{2} + b^{2}}}↵}}}} & {{Equation}\mspace{14mu} (2)}\end{matrix}$

According to certain embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 4D, theelectronic device 101 may calculate an azimuth β (a horizontal angle)corresponding to a specific point (y, z) and an elevation γ (verticalangle) with respect to the camera aspect ratio a and b and the cameraview angle α as shown in Equation (2). When a region for scanning for anobject is split into a specific number of first regions and a point (y,z) to which the first beam is transmitted to each of the first regionsis calculated, the electronic device 101 calculates as many angles β andγ of the beams as the number of regions and transmit the beams indirections according to the sections. For example, when the scan regionis split into 16 sections as illustrated in FIG. 4A, the first regionsmay be split as shown in [Table 1].

TABLE 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

The electronic device 101 may perform beamforming for each of firstregions corresponding to 16 sections by calculating the angles β and γof the beams for the first regions as shown in Equation (2). Forexample, when it is assumed that the aspect ratio is 16:9 and the viewangle is 90 degrees, a range of transmission angles of the beams for thefirst regions corresponding to the first sections may be calculated. Therange of the first sections may be (−8, 4.5) to (−4, 2.25) calculatedthrough Cartesian coordinates and the azimuth and the elevation may becalculated as (−41°˜−23°, 13°˜26°) through Equation (2). According tocertain embodiments, when the distances between the camera and theantenna array of the electronic device 101 and the millimeter-wavedevice are different, calculation may be performed after movement by adistance corresponding to the difference from (0,0). For example, whenthe beam transmission location is (y1, z1) (when it is assumed that thecamera location is (0, 0) and the RF location is (y1, z1) in order tocompensate for the difference between the RF location and the cameralocation), the electronic device 101 may calculate the azimuth β and theelevation γ as shown in Equation (3) below.

$\begin{matrix}{{\beta = {{\tan^{- 1}\frac{y}{x}} = {\tan^{- 1}\frac{2\left( {y - y_{1}} \right)\tan \; \frac{\alpha}{2}}{\sqrt{a^{2} + b^{2}}}↵}}}{\gamma = {{\tan^{- 1}\frac{z}{x}} = {\tan^{- 1}\frac{2\left( {z - z_{1}} \right)\tan \; \frac{a}{2}}{\sqrt{a^{2} + b^{2}}}↵}}}} & {{Equation}\mspace{14mu} (3)}\end{matrix}$

According to certain embodiments, the electronic device 101 may controland transmit the first beam width on the basis of an object type. Forexample, the electronic device 101 may identify the object type on thebasis of information input from the user or the camera. For example,when the object types is a landscape, a thin and long first beam may betransmitted. When the object type is face authentication, the electronicdevice may predict a distance to the face of the typical user andcontrol the width of the first beam transmitted to each first region.When the part of the face is measured through the above method, theelectronic device 101 may estimate the distance to the face on the basisof a time value of regions in which reflected signals are received. Theelectronic device 101 may form first beams to be transmitted far awayand make the width of the first beams inversely proportional to thedistance according to the object type. For example, when an out-focusfunction of the electronic device 101 is activated when a picture or avideo is captured, the electronic device 101 may form first beams to betransmitted far away and determine a parameter value related toout-focus on the basis of a TOF value of the received reflected signalsof the first beams. For example, when the electronic device 101receives, from the camera, input values having different resolutions fora face region and a landscape region when a picture or a video iscaptured, the electronic device 101 may apply different beams to theface region and the landscape region, and may measure informationrequested by the camera (for example, TOF of each of split regions) andtransfer the result to another module.

FIG. 4E illustrates an example in which the electronic device 101acquires object information through second beams according to certainembodiments.

Referring to FIG. 4E, the electronic device 101 according to certainembodiments splits each of first regions in a region 310 (four firstregions) in which the object 330 exists into 16 second regions. Theelectronic device 101 may further split the regions in which the object330 exists and transmit second beams 370 to each of the split secondregions 351 to 366 so as to acquire more accurate beam-reflectedsignals. Azimuths and elevations of the second beams 370 may becalculated using Equation (2).

According to certain embodiments, the electronic device 101 may acquireobject information on the basis of reflected waves of the second beams370. The reflected signals of the second beams 370 may include objectinformation (for example, depth information). The reflected signals ofthe second beams 370 may be reflected signals from the object, to whichthe beams are transmitted, in specific regions rather than informationon pixels. For example, a bandwidth in a beamforming scheme of IEEE802.11ad 60 GHz may be about 3 to 3.56 GHz, and a resolution that can bemeasured for reflection of the second beams 370 may be about 100 μm.Accordingly, reflected signals for the very short distance of about 100μm may be transmitted to specific regions and measured. For example,when the liveness of a user's face is to be determined or when securityis needed, the electronic device 101 may increase the resolution. Whenonly identification of the object is needed, the electronic device 101may decrease the resolution.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may transmit beamsthrough an Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) and receive reflected waves so as toacquire object information. The UWB may use a transmission frequencyband higher than or equal to several GHz (for example, 3.1 GHz to 10.6GHz) and provide a speed faster than or equal to 100 Mbps.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart 500 illustrating operations in which an electronicdevice (for example, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1) determinesacquired object information as templates through machine learning. Incertain embodiments, the flowchart 500 can be performed when the userinitializes the electronic device, such as during first or early usage.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic device 101 may estimateregions in which the object exists, learn beams including objectinformation in the object estimation regions through machine learning,and store the result of learning in a memory (for example, the memory130 of FIG. 1) as templates. The electronic device 101 may generate andstore templates (comparative data) for object authentication. In orderto register the templates, the electronic device 101 may place theobject (for example, the subject) at a predetermined distance (forexample, 20 cm, 25 cm, or 30 cm), collect data, and perform machinelearning on the basis of the collected data. For example, when theobject is a person (for example, a face), the user may perform anauthentication operation at a location spaced apart from the electronicdevice 101 by a predetermined distance. The electronic device 101 maycollect user face information according to each distance, learn the datacollected at the corresponding distance on the basis of amachine-learning scheme, and then register the result as templates.Thereafter, for example, when the user is located at a distance of 21cm/8.4 in, the electronic device 101 may additionally identify whetherto perform authentication on the basis of machine learning and updatethe corresponding information as templates (comparative data).

FIG. 5 illustrates an operation in which the electronic device 101recognizes an object spaced a distance apart therefrom and registers theobject as a template.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic device 101 may transmitsecond beams to second regions of first regions, predicted to be regionsin which the object exists, in operation 511. For example, the secondregions may be portions of the first regions which are regions in whichan image is capable of being acquired by an image sensor of the cameramodule (for example, the camera module 180 of FIG. 1). The electronicdevice 101 may receive second reflected waves reflected from the objectin the second regions and acquire object information on the basis of thereceived second reflected waves in operation 513. The electronic device101 may extract and compare feature points (feature extraction andmatching) in operation 515. The electronic device 101 may learn andupdate the compared feature points in operation 517 and store theupdated feature points (feature vectors) as templates in operation 519.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic device 101 maydetermine a template for authenticating the object by learning featurepoints based on the received second reflected waves generated byreflection of the second beams from the object. For example, theelectronic device 101 may generate a template for authenticating theobject on the basis of all or some of TOF, phase, and amplitudes basedon the second reflected waves. The electronic device 101 may learn atemplate for identifying the presence of the object, a template fordetermining liveness of the object, and/or a template for authenticatingthe object. For example, the template for identifying the presence andthe template for determining liveness may be generated on the basis ofthe first reflected waves of the first beams, and the template forauthenticating the object may be generated on the basis of the secondreflected waves of the second beams.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic device 101 or anexternal server may generate templates based on the first reflectedwaves and the second reflected waves through deep learning (or a deepneural network or an artificial neural network). For example, adeep-learning method may use a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)scheme. When learning is performed through the CNN scheme, learning isperformed by inputting object information, to be learned, into the CNNand features based on the learning result may be extracted and stored astemplates. For example, when the object is a user's face, information onspecific parts that can be feature points of the face, such as at leastone of the eye, the nose, and the mouth, actually acquired from theuser's face, and information on each specific part received by thewireless communication module (for example, phase, TOF, and amplitudevalues acquired from reflected waves of beams of 60 GHz) may be inputinto the CNN, and an output value corresponding thereto may bedetermined to be true. Further, the same parameters of typical users maybe input, and an output value corresponding thereto may be determined asfalse. In the learning method using the CNN, the above calculation maybe repeatedly performed a set number of times, and an error generatedduring the calculation process may be updated (through a backpropagationscheme) and a model (template) for making the user parameter true may begenerated and stored in the memory. The template may include a presencetemplate, a liveness template, and/or a face authentication template.The presence template and the liveness template may be used for allusers, and the face authentication template may be a unique templategenerated by learning of each user image and reflected waves.

The method may be trained through transfer learning, in which models areconfigured in advance using parameters of typical users and fine tuningis performed using parameter values of new users.

The electronic device 101 may perform face authentication by comparinginformation of reflected waves of the face received during execution ofa face authentication application with corresponding information storedin the memory. When actual authentication is performed using trainedmodels, the electronic device 101 may perform an authenticationoperation having parameter values based on reflected waves received inreal time as inputs into the CNN. The electronic device 101 mayauthenticate the user as a legitimate user when the output of the CNN istrue and determine that the user is not a legitimate user when theoutput is false.

FIG. 6 illustrates the configuration of an electronic device (forexample, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 6, the electronic device 101 may include a first beamdetermination module 610, a first beam-processing module 620, a secondbeam determination module 630, a second beam-processing module 640, andan object authentication module 650. The configuration in FIG. 6 may bethe configuration of the processor (for example, the processor 120 ofFIG. 1 or the processor 200 of FIG. 2).

The first beam determination module 610 may determine first beams forcalculating a distance between the object and the electronic device 101and/or a range of the object. The first beam determination module 610may split a scan region into regions having a set area and determinefirst beams to be transmitted to the split regions in order to rapidlydetect the object. The scan region may be a region including the objectto be authenticated. For example, the scan region may be a region inwhich an image can be acquired by an image sensor of the camera module(for example, the camera module 180 of FIG. 1). The first beamdetermination module 610 may split the scan region into a plurality offirst regions having a first area and calculate directivity of the firstbeams to be transmitted to the split first regions. The directivity ofthe first beams may be calculated using Equation (2) or Equation (3) onthe basis of coordinate information of the corresponding first regions.

The first beam-processing module 620 may perform control to output asequence of the determined first beams through a wireless communicationmodule (for example, the wireless communication module 220 of FIG. 2).The wireless communication module 220 and the antenna array (forexample, the antenna array 230 of FIG. 2) may transmit the sequence ofthe first beams to the corresponding first regions. For example, thesequence of the first beams may be beamformed to be transmitted to thecentral location of the corresponding first regions. The firstbeam-processing module 620 may receive a sequence of the first reflectedwaves generated by reflection of the sequence of the first beams fromthe first regions through the wireless communication module 220. Thefirst beam-processing module 620 may identify object information of thefirst regions on the basis of the received sequence of the firstreflected waves. The first reflected waves may include information onTOF, phase, and amplitude of the corresponding first regions. The firstbeam-processing module 620 may identify whether the object is located inthe corresponding first regions on the basis of first reflected waveinformation. For example, when first reflected waves are received withina set reference time through calculation of TOF from the first reflectedwaves, the first beam-processing module 620 may determine that theobject is located in the corresponding first regions. The firstbeam-processing module 220 may determine whether the object is locatedin the corresponding first regions by scanning for the first regions ofthe scan region.

The second beam determination module 630 may determine a sequence ofsecond beams to be transmitted to the first regions which are determinedas regions in which the object exists. The second beam determinationmodule 630 may split the first regions in which the object exists intosecond regions having a second area smaller than the first area anddetermine the directivity of the second beams to be transmitted to thesplit second regions. The second beams may have a beam width narrowerthan the beam width of the first beams. The directivity of the secondbeams may be calculated using Equation (2) or Equation (3) on the basisof coordinate information of the corresponding second regions. Accordingto an embodiment, the second beam determination module 630 may split atleast one first region including the object and having the first areainto second regions having the second area. For example, when the firstregions are split into 16 second regions and it is determined that theobject is located in four first regions by the first beams, the secondbeam determination module 640 may determine 16*4 second beams.

The second beam-processing module 640 may perform control to output thesequence of the determined second beams through the wirelesscommunication module 220. The wireless communication module 220 and theantenna array 230 may transmit the sequence of the second beams tocorresponding second regions. For example, the sequence of the secondbeams may be beamformed to be transmitted to the central location of thecorresponding second regions. The second beam-processing module 640 mayreceive a sequence of second reflected waves reflected from thecorresponding second regions through the wireless communication module220. The second beam-processing module 640 may identify objectinformation of the second regions on the basis of the received sequenceof the second reflected waves. The second reflected waves may includeinformation on a TOF, phase, and amplitude of the corresponding secondregions. The second beam-processing module 620 may acquire informationon the object located in the corresponding second regions on the basisof second reflected wave information.

The object authentication module 650 may authenticate the object byperforming machine learning on the object information acquired by thesecond beam-processing module 640. The object authentication module 650may authenticate the object on the basis of machine learning formatching the object authentication template stored in the memory (forexample, the memory 210 of FIG. 2) with the acquired object information.

An electronic device (for example, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1)according to certain embodiments may include a housing comprising afirst plate facing a first direction, a second plate facing a directionopposite the direction faced by the first plate, and a side membersurrounding a space between the first plate and the second plate, adisplay 240 exposed through a first part of the first plate, an antennaarray 230 disposed within the housing and/or on a portion of thehousing, a wireless communication module 220 electrically connected tothe antenna array 230 and configured to form directional beams throughthe antenna array 230; a processor 200 located within the housing andoperatively connected to the display 240 and the wireless communicationmodule 240; and a memory 210 operatively connected to the processor 200.The memory 210 may store instructions causing the processor 200 to, whenexecuted, transmit a sequence of first directional beams having a firstbeam width to scan first regions having a first area outside the housingthrough the antenna array 230, receive a sequence of first reflectedwaves generated by reflection of the sequence of the first directionalbeams from an object through the antenna array 230, transmit a sequenceof second directional beams having a second beam width narrower than thefirst beam width to scan second regions, which are included in the firstregions and have a second area smaller than the first area, through theantenna array 230 based on at least a portion of the received sequenceof the first reflected waves, receive a sequence of second reflectedwaves generated by reflection of the sequence of the second directionalbeams from the object through the antenna array 230, and authenticatethe object based on at least a portion of the sequence of the secondreflected waves.

According to certain embodiments, the instructions may cause theprocessor 200 to activate the antennas selected from the antenna array230 in order to determine the first beam width and/or the second beamwidth.

According to certain embodiments, the instructions may cause theprocessor 200 to determine a relative distance and/or a directionbetween the object and the electronic device 101 based on the sequenceof the first reflected waves.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic device 101 may furtherinclude an image sensor exposed through a part of the first plate anddisposed to face the first direction, and the instructions may cause theprocessor to include the first regions in a view angle of the imagesensor.

According to certain embodiments, the object may include a user's face.

In certain embodiments, a template for the user's face can be determinedfor a variety of distances. Each template can then be reduced to only asubset of the second regions 351 . . . 366 of the first regions havingthe object, e.g., 316, 317, 320, and 321 (shortened template). Thespecific second regions 351 . . . 366 can be used based on frequency ofpast occurrence. If the reflected wave patterns at the specific secondregions have a high enough correlation to the shortened template, theobject can be considered authenticated, thereby bypassing a moreextensive comparison using all of the second regions.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an object authentication operation700 of an electronic device (for example, the electronic device 101 ofFIG. 1) according to certain embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 7, the electronic device 101 may guide an object (forexample, a user) to be positioned within a transmission range of thefirst beams 340 before the object authentication operation. For example,when the object 330 is authenticated, the object 330 may not be locatedwithin the scan region 300 of the electronic device 101. The electronicdevice 101 may guide the object 330 to be positioned within the scanregion 300 before the object authentication operation. For example, theelectronic device 101 may display a guide message instructing the userto look at the camera while being spaced apart from the electronicdevice 101 by a predetermined distance in the form of an audio and/orvideo message in order to authenticate the object. In another example,when the user executes an object-authentication-related application, theelectronic device 101 may display a guide instructing the user toposition himself or herself within a view angle of the camera module 180on the display 240.

When a request for performing the object authentication procedure ismade, the electronic device 101 according to certain embodiments maydetermine first beams 340 for identifying the distance between theelectronic device 101 and the object 330 and the range of the object inoperation 711. The object 330 may be located in a portion of the scanregion 300. The electronic device 101 may split the scan region into aplurality of first regions 311 . . . 326 having a first size anddetermine first beams to be transmitted to the split first regions inorder to rapidly detect the object. The first beams 340 may includebeams having a wide beam width and may be formed to be transmitted tothe center of the first regions. According to an embodiment, theelectronic device 101 may determine information on the first regions towhich the first beams are transmitted on the basis of the view angle ofthe camera located in the front surface of the electronic device 101.The electronic device 101 may transmit the first beams 340 to thecentral location of the first regions through a wireless communicationmodule (the wireless communication module 220 of FIG. 2) and an antennaarray (for example, the antenna array 230 of FIG. 2) in operation 713.For example, when object authentication for the user is performed, theelectronic device 101 may transmit the first beams 340 to the centrallocation of the first regions through the wireless communication module220 and the antenna array 230. The transmitted first beams 340 may bereflected by the object located in the first regions of the scan region300, and no reflected wave is generated in the first regions in whichthe object does not exist. The electronic device 101 may receive firstreflected waves reflected from the first regions through the antennaarray 230 and the wireless communication module 220 in operation 715.

The electronic device 101 may identify object information in thereceived first reflected waves and determine the first regions 316, 317,320, 321 in which the object exists in operation 717. In the firstregions 316, 317, 320, 321 in which the object exists, it may take ashort time to transmit, reflect, and receive the first beams. Theelectronic device 101 may identify the first regions 316, 317, 320, 321in which the object exists and the first regions 311-315, 318, 319,322-326 in which the object does not exist on the basis of the firstreflected waves. The electronic device 101 may split the first regionsin which the object exists into a plurality of second regions 351 . . .366 having a second size and determine second beams to be transmitted tothe split second regions. The second beams may have a beam widthnarrower than that of the first beams.

The electronic device 101 may transmit the corresponding second beams tothe second regions of the first regions in which the object existsthrough the wireless communication module 220 and the antenna array 230in operation 719. The electronic device may receive second reflectedwaves reflected from the second regions through the antenna array 230and the wireless communication module 220 in operation 721. Theelectronic device 101 may acquire object information from the receivedsecond reflected waves. The electronic device 101 may perform the objectauthentication operation by matching the object information acquired bythe second reflected waves with templates stored in a memory (forexample, the memory 210 of FIG. 2) through machine learning in operation723.

The electronic device 101 according to certain embodiments may reducethe time for estimating the range of the object (for example, thelocation at which the object exists) by first estimating the range ofthe object through the first beams having the wide beam width and mayacquire high-resolution object information in the regions estimated asthe object location through the second beams having the narrow beamwidth.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method 800 by which an electronic device (forexample, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1) controls beams for objectauthentication according to certain embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 8, the electronic device 101 may split the scan regioninto a specific number of sections in operation 811. The scan region 300is a region in which to scan for the object 330, and may include regions(e.g., first regions 316, 317, 320, 321) in which the object exists andregions (e.g., first regions 311-315, 318, 319, and 322-326) in which noobject exists. For example, the scan region may be a region in which animage can be acquired on the basis of a view angle of a camera module(for example, the camera module 180 of FIG. 1). The electronic device101 may split the scan region into a plurality of first regions 311 . .. 326 having a first size. The electronic device 101 may form firstbeams having a beam width that fits the first regions 311 . . . 326 inoperation 813. The electronic device 101 may form first beams such thatthe first beams may be transmitted to a set location of the firstregions 311 . . . 326 in operation 815. For example, the electronicdevice 101 may calculate an azimuth β and elevation γ of centercoordinates of the first regions using Equation (2) or Equation (3). Theelectronic device 101 may perform beamforming of the first beams withthe calculated azimuth and elevation through a wireless communicationmodule (for example, the wireless communication module 220 of FIG. 2)and an antenna array (for example, the antenna array 230 of FIG. 2) inoperation 817. The sequence of the beamformed first beams may betransmitted to the central location of the corresponding first regionsfrom the antenna array 230.

The electronic device 101 may receive a sequence of reflected waves(first reflected waves) of the first beams reflected from the firstregions in operation 819. For example, the sequence of the firstreflected waves may be signals reflected from the central coordinatelocation of the first regions of the scan region. The electronic device101 may estimate the distance from the corresponding first regions 316,317, 320, and 321 and the range of the object 330 on the basis of thereceived first reflected waves in operation 821. The first reflectedwaves reflected from the first regions in which the object 330 existsmay be received by the electronic device 101 within a specific time, andthe first reflected waves reflected from the first regions in which noobject, e.g., 311-315, 318, 319, and 322-326, exists may not be receivedby the electronic device 101 within a specific time. The electronicdevice 101 may estimate the distance from the object 330 on the basis ofthe first reflected waves reflected from the first regions (for example,through calculation of TOF of the first reflected waves). The electronicdevice 101 may determine first regions 316, 317, 320, and 321 in whichthe object exists 330 on the basis of the estimated distance inoperation 823. For example, the electronic device 101 may identify thatthe first regions, determined to be located within a specific range onthe basis of the first reflected waves, are regions in which the objectexists.

The electronic device 101 may split the first regions identified as theregions in which the object exists into second regions 351 . . . 366having a second area in operation 825. The electronic device 101 maysplit the corresponding first regions into smaller sections in order toprecisely acquire object information of the first regions in which theobject exists. The resolution of the acquired object information may behigh depending on the number of second regions 351 . . . 366 into whichthe first region is split. The electronic device 101 may form secondbeams 370 having a beam width that fits the second regions 351 . . . 366in operation 827. The second beams 370 may have a second beam width, andthe second beam width may be narrower than the first beam width. Theelectronic device 101 may calculate an azimuth and elevation of thecorresponding second regions 351 . . . 366 in operation 829. Forexample, the electronic device 101 may calculate an azimuth β andelevation γ for center coordinates of the second regions 351 . . . 366or coordinates of a set location using Equation (2) or Equation (3). Theelectronic device 101 may perform beamforming of the second beams withthe calculated azimuth and elevation through the wireless communicationmodule 220 and the antenna array 230 in operation 831. The sequence ofthe beamformed second beams 370 may be transmitted to the set locationof the corresponding second regions 351 . . . 366 through the antennaarray 230.

The electronic device 101 may receive a sequence of reflected waves(second reflected waves) of the second beams reflected from the secondregions 351 . . . 366 in operation 833. For example, the sequence of thesecond reflected waves may be signals reflected from the centrallocation of the second regions 351 . . . 366 resulting from splitting ofthe first regions in which the object exists. The electronic device 101may acquire object information on the basis of the received secondreflected waves in operation 835. The object information acquired in thesecond regions 351 . . . 366 may be information on TOF, phase, and/oramplitude. The resolution of the object 330 information may bedetermined by the number of second regions 351 . . . 366 resulting fromsplitting of the first regions and the sequence of the second beams 370.

The electronic device 101 may calculate a matching score by comparingthe acquired object information with learning data (a template) storedin the memory (for example, the memory 210 of FIG. 2) in operation 837.The learning data stored in the memory 210 may be data learned throughmachine learning and data generated by learning information on objectsto be authenticated. The electronic device 101 may acquire objectinformation from the second reflected wave information based on thesecond beam sequence and match the acquired object information withlearning data that has been learned and stored in advance in the memory210 so as to calculate the matching score. The electronic device 101 mayperform the object authentication operation on the basis of thecalculated matching score in operation 839. For example, the electronicdevice 101 may compare the calculated matching score with a referencevalue, and may determine that the object authentication succeeds (true)when the matching score is larger than the reference value and determinethat the object authentication fails (false) when the matching score issmaller than the reference value.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method 900 by which an electronic device 101 (forexample, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1) determines liveness of anobject 330 and authenticates the object 330 according to certainembodiments.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic device 101 maydetermine liveness of first regions 316, 317, 320, 321 in which theobject 330 exists and authenticate the object 330. In order to identifythe distance from the object 330 located in a scan region and the rangeof the object 330, the electronic device 101 may split the scan regioninto first regions 311 . . . 326 having a first area in operation 911.The electronic device 101 may transmit a sequence of first beams 340having a first beam width to the first regions 311 . . . 326 andidentify the location of the object 330 in the first regions 311 . . .326 on the basis of first reflected waves reflected from the firstregions in operation 920. Operation 920 may be performed through thesame method as operations 811 to 823 of FIG. 8.

In order to determine the liveness of the object 330 (likelihood thatthe object is not a photograph), the electronic device 101 may performbeamforming to transmit beams to one or more first regions among thefirst regions 311 . . . 326 in which the location of the object 330 isidentified in operation 931. For example, the first regions 311 . . .326 in which beamforming is performed may be first regions located atthe center of the scan region. For example, beams beamformed in thefirst regions 311 . . . 326 may be beams having a first beam width or asecond beam width. The electronic device 101 may receive reflected wavesreflected from the corresponding first regions 316, 317, 320, 321 inoperation 933. The electronic device 101 may acquire object informationon the basis of the received reflected waves in operation 935. Theacquired object information may be a TOF value, a phase value, and/or anamplitude value of the reflected waves. The electronic device 101 maydetermine liveness of the object 330 on the basis of the acquired objectinformation in operation 937. For example, when the object 330 is auser's face, the electronic device 101 may compare a pattern of thephase and/or the TOF of the reflected waves with a movement pattern(micro movement) of the face stored through learning (training) todetermine liveness, and may determine the liveness through a comparisonbetween an amplitude decrease pattern according to a frequency of thereflected waves with a pre-stored human skin pattern. If there is noliveness of the object 330 determined in the first regions in which theobject 330 exists, the electronic device 101 may end the objectauthentication operation.

If there is liveness of the object 330 determined in the first regions311 . . . 326 in which the object 330 exists, the electronic device 101may split the first regions in which the object 330 exists into secondregions 351 . . . 366 and transmit second beams having a second beamwidth to the second regions 351 . . . 366 in operation 940. Theelectronic device 101 may receive reflected waves reflected from thesecond regions 351 . . . 366 and acquire object information. Operation940 may be performed through the same method as operations 825 to 835 ofFIG. 8.

The electronic device 101 may perform object authentication on the basisof the acquired object information of the second regions 351 . . . 366in operation 950. Operation 950 may be performed through the same methodas operations 837 to 839 of FIG. 8.

According to certain embodiments, a method of authenticating an object330 by an electronic device 101 may include an operation of transmittinga sequence of first directional beams having a first beam width to scanfirst regions 311 . . . 326 having a first area outside a housingthrough an antenna array 230 disposed within the housing and/or on aportion of the housing, an operation of receiving a sequence of firstreflected waves generated by reflection of the sequence of the firstdirectional beams from an object 330 through the antenna array 230, anoperation of transmitting a sequence of second directional beams havinga second beam width narrower than the first beam width to scan secondregions 351 . . . 366, which are included in the first regions 316, 317,320, 321 and have a second area smaller than the first area, through theantenna array 230 based on at least a portion of the received sequenceof the first reflected waves, an operation of receiving a sequence ofsecond reflected waves generated by reflection of the sequence of thesecond directional beams from the object 330 through the antenna array230, and an operation of authenticating the object 330 based on at leasta portion of the sequence of the second reflected waves.

According to certain embodiments, the operation of transmitting thesequence of the first directional beams may include activating thenumber of antennas selected from the antenna array 230 in order todetermine the first beam width. The operation of transmitting thesequence of the second directional beams may include activating a largernumber of antennas than the number of antennas, which are selected todetermine the first beam width from the antenna array 230, in order todetermine the second beam width.

According to certain embodiments, the operation of transmitting thesequence of the second directional beams may include an operation ofdetermining a relative distance and/or a direction between the objectand the electronic device 101 based on the received sequence of thefirst reflected waves, an operation of generating the sequence of thesecond directional beams to be transmitted to the second regions 351 . .. 366 included in the first regions based on the determined distanceand/or direction, and an operation of transmitting the generatedsequence of the second directional beams.

According to certain embodiments, the method may further include anoperation of including the first regions 311 . . . 326 within a viewangle of a camera 1010 disposed to face the first direction and guidingthe object to be positioned in the first regions 311 . . . 326.

According to certain embodiments, the object may include a user's face.

FIG. 10 illustrates the configuration of an electronic device (forexample, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1) according to certainembodiments.

Referring to FIG. 10, the electronic device (for example, the electronicdevice 101 of FIG. 1) may include the processor 200, the memory 210, thewireless communication module 220, the antenna array 230, the display240, a camera module 1010, and a sensor module 1020.

The camera module 1010 (for example, the camera module 180 of FIG. 8)may include an image sensor (not shown) capable of receiving light in aband of visible light reflected from an object 330 (for example, a faceor iris) and generating pixel data. The camera module 1010 may beexposed through a second part of a first plate of a housing adjacent tothe display 240, and may be disposed to face a first direction.

The sensor module 1020 (for example, the sensor module 176 of FIG. 1)may detect the brightness of the surrounding environment in which theobject 330 exists. For example, the sensor module 1020 may include anillumination sensor.

The display 240 (for example, the display device 160 of FIG. 1) mayvisually provide information (for example, an image captured by thecamera module 1010) to the outside of the electronic device 101. Thedisplay 240 may be exposed through a first part of the first plate ofthe housing.

The memory 210, the antenna array 230, the wireless communication module220, and the display 240 may have the same configuration as the memory210, the antenna array 230, the wireless communication module 220, andthe display 240 of FIG. 2, and the operation thereof may be the same.The processor 200 (for example, the processor 120 of FIG. 1) may belocated within the housing of the electronic device 101, and may beoperatively connected to the camera module 1010, the display 240, thewireless communication module 220, and the antenna array 230. Theprocessor 200 may perform an object authentication operation accordingto instructions stored in the memory 210.

When a request for authenticating the object is made, the processor 200may identify the brightness of a surrounding environment in which theobject 330 exists through the sensor module 1020. When ambientbrightness becomes low, the processor 200 may have difficultyrecognizing the object 330 from the image acquired by the camera module1010. According to certain embodiments, if the ambient brightness islower than a set brightness, the processor 200 may recognize the object330 through the antenna array 230 and the wireless communication module220. The processor 200 may beamform the first beams having the wide beamwidth through the wireless communication module 220 and the antennaarray 230 and may transmit the first beams to the regions in which theobject 330 exists so as to determine liveness of the object 330. Whenthe liveness is determined, the processor 200 may beamform the secondbeams, having a narrower beam width than the first beam width, totransmit the second beams to the regions in which the object 330 exists,receive reflected waves of the second beams to acquire objectinformation, and match the acquired object information with informationlearned through machine learning so as to authenticate the object 330.

When the ambient brightness is bright enough to recognize the object330, the processor 200 may acquire and receive at least one imagethrough the camera module 1010 and recognize the object 330 in thereceived image. The processor 200 may transmit a sequence of directionalbeams in at least one second direction, set on the basis of the image,through the wireless communication module 220 and the antenna array 230and may receive a sequence of reflected waves generated by reflection ofthe sequence of the beams from the object 330. The processor 200 mayauthenticate the object 330 on the basis of the recognized object 330and at least a portion of the sequence of the reflected waves.

According to certain embodiments, the wireless communication module 220may be a millimeter-wave device. The millimeter-wave device may transmitmillimeter-wave signals in the direction of the object 330 through abeamforming scheme in a direction corresponding to a specific pixel ofimage data and receive signals reflected from the object 330 to identifythe characteristics of the reflected signals. In order to use theelectronic device 101 including the millimeter-wave device toauthenticate the object 330, the electronic device 101 needs to extractonly reflected object information by selecting a necessary part of theobject 330 and transmitting millimeter waves in the direction of theselected part of the object 330. The electronic device 101 may add aunique signal characteristic of the millimeter-wave device to the objectauthentication operation and thus further enhance the security level ofobject authentication. The electronic device 101 according to certainembodiments may reduce the time spent generating millimeter-wave imagedata by optimizing the selection of an object 330 part (for example, aspecific location of the object 330 based on image data) to bebeamformed by the millimeter-wave device on the basis of image data ofan RGB camera, and as a result, it is possible to reduce a totalprocessing time of the object authentication system.

The electronic device 101 may perform the authentication operation foracquiring an object (for example, a face) image and performing a setfunction. The user may capture the object by driving the camera module1010. The processor 200 may acquire an image including an object fromthe camera module 1010 and recognize an object part in the acquiredimage. The processor 200 may extract features of a main part of theobject in the image of the recognized object. The main part of theobject may be a part for identifying the presence of the object or theliveness of the object or authenticating (recognizing) the object. Theprocessor 200 may generate a sequence of beams in a directioncorresponding to the extracted object part through the wirelesscommunication module 220 and the antenna array 230 and transmitmillimeter waves. The processor 200 may receive a sequence of beamsreflected from the object through the wireless communication module 220and the antenna array 230. The processor 200 may learn information onmain parts of the object through deep learning, an artificial neuralnetwork, or a deep neural network. The memory 210 may store learnedinformation on the main parts of the object. When reflected informationon the main parts of the object is received from the wirelesscommunication module 220, the processor 220 may identify output of adeep-earning system that matches a characteristic of the main part ofthe object stored in the memory 210 with a characteristic based onreceived reflected wave information and determine whether the output isa result corresponding to the object of the user.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic device 101 may use amachine-learning engine for both object image recognition and reflectedwave recognition as one machine-learning engine. According to anembodiment, the electronic device 101 may separately use amachine-learning engine for object image recognition and amachine-learning engine for reflected wave recognition.

According to an embodiment, the processor 200 may recognize the objectpart in the image data acquired and received by the camera module 1010and set authentication identification locations for authenticating theobject in the image of the recognized object. The processor 200 maytransmit millimeter waves to the authentication identification locationsthrough beamforming using the antenna array 230 and receive millimeterwaves reflected from the object so as to authenticate whether the objectcorresponds to the set object of the user. The object authenticationoperation may be performed on the basis of a deep-learning algorithm.

According to an embodiment, the processor 200 may recognize the objectpart in the image data acquired and received by the camera module 1010and set liveness determination locations for determining liveness of theobject and authentication identification locations for authenticatingthe object in the image of the recognized object. For example, theidentification locations may be specific parts such as an eye, a nose,or a mouth or may be parts that can effectively express a user'scharacteristic. Further, predetermined locations may vary depending oninformation of image data (for example, an angle of the face). Forexample, the liveness determination locations may be parts such as aneye, a nose, and a mouth in which a user's minute movement can bedetected. For example, the authentication identification locations maybe the entire facial region or locations of the eye, the nose, or themouth, which define the user's face.

The processor 200 may transmit millimeter waves to the identifiedliveness determination locations through beamforming and receivemillimeter waves reflected from the object so as to determine theliveness of the object. For example, the processor 200 may transmitmillimeter waves to the authentication identification locations throughbeamforming and receive millimeter waves reflected from the object so asto authenticate whether the object corresponds to the set object of theuser. The liveness determination and object authentication operation maybe performed on the basis of a deep-learning algorithm.

FIG. 11 illustrates the configuration of an electronic device accordingto certain embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 11, an electronic device (the electronic device 101 ofFIG. 1) may include a selection module 1110, a first objectauthentication module 1120, and a second object authentication module1130. The electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 may be the configuration of aprocessor (for example, the processor 120 of FIG. 1 or the processor 200of FIG. 10).

The selection module 1110 may acquire information about brightness inthe vicinity of the object 330 through a sensor module (for example, thesensor module 1020 of FIG. 10). The selection module 1110 may identifywhether the intensity of light acquired through the sensor module 1020is out of a specific range and select the first object authenticationmodule 1120 when the intensity of light is out of the specific range andselect the second authentication module 1130 when the intensity of lighthas a value within the specific range.

The first object authentication module 1120 may perform an operation ofauthenticating the object 330 by identifying the distance from theobject 330 and the range of the object 330 through beamforming of firstbeams, acquiring object information in regions in which the object 330exists through beamforming of second beams, and matching the acquiredobject information with learned data. The first object authenticationmodule 1120 may have the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 6.

The second object authentication module 1130 may perform an operation ofauthenticating the object 330 by recognizing an image acquired throughthe camera module 1010, extracting object 330 regions and feature pointsof the object 330, forming beams to the recognized object 330 regionsthrough the wireless communication module 220 and the antenna array 230,acquiring liveness of the object 330 and object information, andmatching the acquired object information with learned data.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may receive asignal of an intensity of light around the object 330 through the sensormodule 1020 and identify whether the intensity of the received light isequal or lower than a predetermined brightens. When the intensity of thelight is equal to or lower than the predetermined brightness, it may bedifficult to recognize an image acquired by the camera module 1010. Whenit is difficult to recognize the image acquired through the cameramodule 1020, the processor 200 may activate the first objectauthentication module 1120 to perform the object authenticationoperation through the wireless communication module 220 and the antennaarray 230 (for example, a millimeter-wave device). When the objectauthentication operation is performed using only the millimeter-wavedevice, the processor 200 may display a message for guiding the objectto be positioned within a view angle of the camera module 1010 throughthe display 240.

The configuration of the first object authentication module 1120 of theelectronic device 101 may be the same as that of FIG. 6. When theelectronic device 101 performs the object authentication operationthrough the first object authentication module 1120, the objectauthentication method may be the same as that of FIGS. 7 to 9.

When it is determined that the intensity of light is bright enough torecognize the image acquired through the camera module 1020, theprocessor 200 may perform the object authentication operation byactivating the second object authentication module 1130.

FIG. 12 illustrates the configuration of an electronic device (forexample, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1) for performing a secondobject authentication operation according to certain embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 12, the electronic device (for example, the electronicdevice 101 of FIG. 1) may include an object identification module 1210,a location identification module 1220, a liveness-location-settingmodule 1230, a liveness determination module 1240, anauthentication-location-setting module 1250, and an objectauthentication module 1260. The configuration of the electronic device100 of FIG. 12 may be the configuration of the second objectauthentication module 1130 of FIG. 11.

The object identification module 1210 may acquire image data from acamera module (for example, the camera module 180 of FIG. 1 or thecamera module 1010 of FIG. 10). The object identification module 1210may identify an image of an object 330 (face detection) in the acquiredimage. For example, in order to identify objects in various sizes, theobject authentication module 1210 may generate a pyramid image in theacquired image and determine whether a region having a specific size isthe object 330 through a classifier (for example, AdaBoost (adaptiveboosting)) while moving the image one pixel at a time.

The location identification module 1220 may identify the main feature(facial feature or facial landmark) of the object in the image of theidentified object. According to certain embodiments, when the object isa user's face, the location identification module 1220 may specify aneye, a nose, or a mouth and also a facial region. For example, thelocation identification module 1220 may detect (feature detection orlandmark detection) a location (for example, a central location of theimage) for identifying the presence of the object in the image of theobject, a location (for example, a specific location of the face inwhich movement of the eye, the nose, or the mouth can be detected) fordetermining liveness of the object, and a location (for example, theentire facial region or a plurality of locations of the eye, the nose,or the mouth in which facial features can be identified) forauthenticating the face.

The liveness-location-setting module 1230 may select object locations(for example, specific pixel locations of the image of the object) fordetermining liveness of the object (liveness detection) and performbeamforming through the wireless communication module 220 and theantenna array 230 in order to transmit a sequence of beams to theselected object locations. The wireless communication module 220 and theantenna array 230 may transmit a sequence of beams based on livenessbeamforming information (azimuth) set by the liveness-location-settingmodule 1230 in a corresponding direction and receive signals reflectedfrom the subject.

The liveness determination module 1240 may determine liveness of theobject on the basis of signals reflected from the subject which arereceived by the antenna array 230. The liveness determination module1240 may calculate a TOF, phase, and/or amplitude of the receivedreflected signals and determine liveness on the basis of livenesstemplates having calculation information stored in the memory 210.

The authentication-location-setting module 1250 may select objectlocations (for example, an entire region of a facial image or a set offeature points including a plurality of feature points) forauthenticating the object and perform beamforming in order to transmit asequence of beams to the selected locations. The wireless communicationmodule and the antenna array may transmit a sequence of beams based onbeamforming information (azimuth and elevation) for objectauthentication set by the authentication-location-setting module 1250 ina corresponding direction and receive signals reflected from thesubject.

The object authentication module 1260 may authenticate the image of theobject on the basis of the received signals reflected from the subject.The object authentication module 1260 may calculate a TOF, phase, and/oramplitude of the received reflected signals and authenticate an objectof the user in the image on the basis of object authentication templateshaving calculation information stored in the memory. Theliveness-location-setting module 1230 may determine locations formeasuring minute movement of the object, and the liveness determinationlocations may be used to measure the distance from the object. Forexample, the liveness determination locations may be the object regionsor portions of the object regions. The object authentication module 1260may perform object authentication through deep-learning information onthe basis of object information (for example, TOF of information on thedistance from the object).

The electronic device 101 according to certain embodiments may determineliveness of the object in the acquired image through the millimeter-wavedevice, and when there is liveness of the object, authenticate the imageof the object. For example, an object that is a part of a human maycontinuously generate movement at a micro-meter level even when theobject stays still. Such movement may continuously vibrate a phase valueor a TOF value for reflected waves of the millimeter-wave device. Theelectronic device 101 may store in advance movement features in aspecific pattern in a storage unit (for example, the memory 210) througha deep-learning scheme (or a machine-learning scheme). Further,reflected waves from human skin may have characteristics different fromthose of objects having a different pattern of reduction in reflectedwave amplitude. The electronic device 101 may also have stored inadvance the reflected wave amplitude reduction pattern in the storageunit. The liveness-location-setting module 1230 may perform abeamforming operation to transmit a sequence of beams to set locations(for example, the locations of the eyes, nose, or mouth of the image ofthe object) for determining liveness and may receive signals reflectedfrom the object of the subject. The liveness determination module 1240may compare the pattern of the phase or TOF of the millimeter-wave imagedata with a micro movement pattern of the object stored in the memorythrough learning (training) or with a human's skin pattern, of which theamplitude reduction pattern according to the frequency of the reflectedwaves is pre-stored, so as to determine liveness.

When the electronic device 101 identifies the liveness (when a conditionof liveness determination (liveness detection) is satisfied or when acharacteristic of the reflected waves is recognized to be similar toreflected wave signals for an object that is a part of a human), theauthentication-location-setting module 1250 may perform an additionalbeamforming operation in a direction of the locations of the object forobject authentication (for example, the object regions or a portion ofthe regions of the object including a plurality of feature points in theobject regions). The electronic device 101 may additionally transmit asequence of beams to the locations of the object of the subject forobject authentication and receive signals reflected from thecorresponding object locations of the subject. The object authenticationmodule 1260 may authenticate the object of the user on the basis of theimage of the recognized object, the sequence of the reflected waves, andthe object authentication templates stored in the memory.

According to certain embodiments, when the millimeter-wave image data isgenerated, the electronic device 101 may perform an operation forcomparing the millimeter-wave image data with data (templates) alreadygenerated through image learning through a feature extraction operationof a deep-learning (for example, CNN) algorithm and determine success orfailure of object authentication by calculating matching scoresaccording to a previously determined algorithm. When the objectauthentication succeeds or fails, the electronic device 101 may use thepre-stored templates of the object as additional data for continuousupdate.

An electronic device 101 according to certain embodiments may include ahousing comprising a first plate facing a first direction, a secondplate facing a direction opposite the direction faced by the firstplate, and a side member surrounding a space between the first plate andthe second plate, a display 240 exposed through a first part of thefirst plate, a camera module 1010 exposed through a second part of thefirst plate adjacent to the display 240 and disposed to face the firstdirection, an antenna array 230 disposed within the housing and/or on aportion of the housing, a wireless communication module 220 electricallyconnected to the antenna array 230 and configured to form directionalbeams through the antenna array 230, a sensor module 1020 configured tosense an intensity of illumination, and a processor 200 located withinthe housing and operatively connected to the display 240, the cameramodule 1010, the wireless communication module 220, and the sensormodule 1020. The processor 200 may identify the brightness in thevicinity of the electronic device through the sensor module, perform afirst object authentication operation through the antenna array 230 andthe wireless communication module 220 when the sensed brightness isequal to or lower than a set level, and perform a second objectauthentication operation through the camera module 1010, the antennaarray 230 and the wireless communication module 220 when the sensedbrightness is higher than the set level The first object authenticationoperation may transmit a sequence of first directional beams having afirst beam width to scan first regions 311 . . . 326 having a first areathrough the antenna array 230, receive a sequence of first reflectedwaves generated by reflection of the sequence of the first directionalbeams from an object 330 through the antenna array 230, transmit asequence of second directional beams having a second beam width narrowerthan the first beam width to scan second regions 351 . . . 366, whichare included in the first regions and have a second area smaller thanthe first area, through the antenna array 230 based on at least aportion of the received sequence of the first reflected waves, receive asequence of second reflected waves generated by reflection of thesequence of the second directional beams from the object 330 through theantenna array 230, and authenticate the object 330 based on at least aportion of the sequence of the second reflected waves.

According to certain embodiments, the second object authenticationoperation of the processor 200 may acquire at least one image throughthe camera module 1010, recognize the object 330 in the image, transmita sequence of at least one directional beam in the direction of theobject 330 through the antenna array 230, receive a sequence ofreflected waves generated by reflection of the sequence of the beamsfrom the object 330 through the antenna array 230, and authenticate theobject 330 based on the recognized object 330 and at least a portion ofthe sequence of the reflected waves.

According to certain embodiments, the processor 200 may activate theantennas selected from the antenna array in order to determine the firstbeam width and/or the second beam width.

According to certain embodiments, the processor 200 may determine arelative distance and/or a direction between the object and theelectronic device based on the sequence of the first reflected waves.

According to certain embodiments, the camera module 1010 may include animage sensor disposed to face the first direction, and the processor 200may include the first regions 311 . . . 326 in a view angle of the imagesensor. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1300 by which anelectronic device (for example, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1)authenticates an object 330 on the basis of a camera image and beamsaccording to certain embodiments.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a second object authenticationmethod by the electronic device 101 according to certain embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 13, the electronic device 101 may acquire an imageincluding an object 330 through a camera module (for example, the cameramodule 180 of FIG. 1 or the camera module 1010 of FIG. 10) in operation1311. The electronic device 101 may identify object 330 regions and mainparts of the object 330 in the acquired image in operation 1313. Theelectronic device 101 may identify feature points for authenticating theobject 330 in the image of the recognized object in operation 1315. Theelectronic device 101 may calculate coordinates of object 330 regions orlocations (for example, pixel coordinates) of parts that may be featurepoints of the object 330 in the image acquired through the camera module1010. The electronic device 101 may select locations for determiningliveness of the object 330 and locations for authenticating the object330. For example, when the object 330 is a user's face, the locationsfor determining liveness may be pixel coordinates of specific parts thatmay be feature points of the face, such as the eyes, nose, or mouth inthe face image, and the locations for authenticating the face may be aset of pixel coordinates that can be collected in the entire region ofthe face image within a limited time.

The electronic device 101 may determine a sequence of directional beamsfor determining liveness of the object 330 in operation 1317. Forexample, the electronic device 101 may calculate an azimuth and anelevation of the beams for determining liveness by applying livenessdetermination location information to Equation (2) or Equation (3). Theelectronic device 101 may transmit the sequence of the beams to theliveness determination locations on the basis of the calculated azimuthand elevation in operation 1319. The electronic device 101 may receivereflected waves of the beams reflected from the subject in operation1321. For example, the electronic device 101 may receive reflected wavesof beams reflected from the subject through the antenna array 230. Theelectronic device 101 may calculate phase, TOF and/or amplitude valuesfrom the received reflected waves and determine liveness of the object330 on the basis of the calculated values in operation 1323. Accordingto an embodiment, the memory (for example, the memory 210 of FIG. 10)may store liveness templates for determining liveness of the object 330.For example, the liveness templates may be specific values generated bylearning changes in phase, TOF, and/or amplitude of the millimeter-wavedevice based on minute movement (vibration) of the object 330 through adeep-learning scheme. The electronic device 101 may identify matchingscores by matching the phase, TOF, and/or amplitude values of thereflected waves received by the millimeter-wave device with the learnedliveness templates and determine liveness of the object 330 on the basisof the identified matching scores. When there is no liveness of theobject 330 (false), the electronic device 101 may determine that objectauthentication fails and end the authentication operation.

When there is liveness of the object 330 (true), the electronic device101 may identify whether there is additional location information forobject authentication (location information (pixel coordinates) forobject authentication) in operation 1325. For example, the memory maystore a liveness template and an object authentication template, and theelectronic device 101 may determine feature points for livenessdetermination and object authentication on the basis of operation 1315.The electronic device 101 may determine a sequence of directional beamsfor object authentication in operation 1325. For example, the electronicdevice 101 may calculate an azimuth and an elevation of beams forpredetermined locations of the image of the object 330 in order toauthenticate the object 330 by applying object authentication locationinformation to Equation (2) or Equation (3). The electronic device 101may transmit the sequence of the beams to the object authenticationlocations of the subject on the basis of the calculated azimuth andelevation in operation 1327. The electronic device 101 may receivereflected waves of the sequence of the directional beams reflected fromthe subject in operation 1329. The electronic device 101 may calculatephase, TOF, and amplitude values from the reflected waves receivedthrough the antenna array 230 and match the calculated values with theobject authentication template so as to perform the objectauthentication operation.

A method of authenticating an object 330 by an electronic device 101according to certain embodiments may include an operation of sensing abrightness around the electronic device 101 through a sensor module1020, an operation of performing a first object 330 authenticationoperation using signals received through an antenna array 230 disposedwithin a housing of the electronic device 101 and/or on a portion of thehousing and a wireless communication module 220 when the sensedbrightness is equal to or lower than a set level, and an operation ofperforming a second object 330 authentication operation forauthenticating the object 330 through an image acquired by a camera 1010and signals received through the antenna array 230 and the wirelesscommunication module 220 when the sensed brightness is higher than orequal to the set level. The first object 330 authentication operationmay transmit a sequence of first directional beams having a first beamwidth to scan first regions having a first area through the antennaarray 230, receive a sequence of first reflected waves generated byreflection of the sequence of the first directional beams from an object330 through the antenna array 230, transmit a sequence of seconddirectional beams having a second beam width narrower than the firstbeam width to scan second regions 351 . . . 366, which are included inthe first regions and have a second area smaller than the first area,through the antenna array 230 based on at least a portion of thereceived sequence of the first reflected waves, receive a sequence ofsecond reflected waves generated by reflection of the sequence of thesecond directional beams from the object 330 through the antenna array230, and authenticate the object 330 based on at least a portion of thesequence of the second reflected waves.

According to certain embodiments, the second object authenticationoperation may include an operation of acquiring at least one imagethrough the camera 1010, an operation of recognizing the object in theimage, an operation of transmitting a sequence of at least onedirectional beam in a direction of the object through the antenna array230, an operation of receiving a sequence of reflected waves generatedby reflection of the sequence of the beams from the object through theantenna array 230, and an operation of authenticating the object basedon the recognized object and at least a portion of the sequence of thereflected waves.

According to certain embodiments, the operation of transmitting thesequence of the first directional beams may include activating thenumber of antennas selected from the antenna array in order to determinethe first beam width. The operation of transmitting the sequence of thesecond directional beams may include activating a larger number ofantennas than the number of antennas selected to determine the firstbeam width from the antenna array in order to determine the second beamwidth.

According to certain embodiments, the operation of transmitting thesequence of the second directional beams may further include anoperation of determining a relative distance and/or a direction betweenthe object and the electronic device based on the sequence of the firstreflected waves, an operation of generating the sequence of the seconddirectional beams to be transmitted to the second regions 351 . . . 366included in the first regions based on the determined distance and/ordirection, and an operation of transmitting the generated sequence ofthe second directional beams.

According to certain embodiments, the first object authenticationoperation may further include an operation of setting the first regionsto be included within a view angle of the camera 1010 and guiding theobject to be positioned in the first regions.

While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference tocertain embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that the electronic device according to the disclosure is notlimited to these embodiments, and various changes in form and detailsmay be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of thedisclosure as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: an antennaarray; a wireless communication module electrically connected to theantenna array and configured to form directional beams through theantenna array; at least one processor operatively connected to thewireless communication module; and a memory operatively connected to theat least one processor, wherein the memory stores instructions causingthe at least one processor to perform a plurality of operationscomprising: transmitting a sequence of first directional beams having afirst beam width to scan first regions having a first sizethrough theantenna array, receiving a sequence of first reflected waves generatedby reflection of the sequence of the first directional beams from anobject through the antenna array, transmitting a sequence of seconddirectional beams having a second beam width narrower than the firstbeam width to scan second regions, which are included in the firstregions and have a second size smaller than the first size, through theantenna array based on at least a portion of the received sequence ofthe first reflected waves, receiving a sequence of second reflectedwaves generated by reflection of the sequence of the second directionalbeams from the object through the antenna array, and authenticating theobject based on at least a portion of the sequence of the secondreflected waves.
 2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein theplurality of operations further comprise activating a number of antennasselected from the antenna array in order to determine the first beamwidth or the second beam width.
 3. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein the plurality of operations further comprise determining arelative distance or a direction between the object and the electronicdevice based on the sequence of the first reflected waves.
 4. Theelectronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a housing comprising afirst plate facing a first direction, a second plate facing a directionopposite the direction faced by the first plate, and a side membersurrounding a spaced between the first plate and the second plate; adisplay exposed through a first part of the first plate; and an imagesensor exposed through a second part of the first plate and disposed toface the first direction, and wherein the plurality of operationsfurther comprise: including the first regions in a view angle of theimage sensor.
 5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the objectincludes a user's face.
 6. An electronic device comprising: a camera; anantenna array; a wireless communication module electrically connected tothe antenna array and configured to form directional beams through theantenna array; a sensor module configured to sense an intensity ofillumination; and at least one processor operatively connected to thecamera, the wireless communication module, and the sensor module, the atleast one processor configured to: identify brightness around theelectronic device through the sensor module, perform a first objectauthentication operation through the antenna array and the wirelesscommunication module when a sensed brightness is equal to or lower thana set level, and perform a second object authentication operationthrough the camera, the antenna array and the wireless communicationmodule when the sensed brightness is higher than the set level, andwherein the first object authentication operation transmits a sequenceof first directional beams having a first beam width to scan firstregions having a first size through the antenna array, receives asequence of first reflected waves generated by reflection of thesequence of the first directional beams from an object through theantenna array, transmits a sequence of second directional beams having asecond beam width narrower than the first beam width to scan secondregions, which are included in the first regions and have a second sizesmaller than the first size, through the antenna array based on at leasta portion of the received sequence of the first reflected waves,receives a sequence of second reflected waves generated by reflection ofthe sequence of the second directional beams from the object through theantenna array, and authenticates the object based on at least a portionof the sequence of the second reflected waves.
 7. The electronic deviceof claim 6, wherein the second object authentication operation acquiresat least one image through the camera, recognizes the object in theimage, transmits a sequence of at least one directional beam in adirection of the object through the antenna array, receives a sequenceof reflected waves generated by reflection of the sequence of the atleast one directional beams from the object through the antenna array,and authenticates the object based on the recognized object and at leasta portion of the sequence of the reflected waves generated by thereflection of the sequence of the at least one directional beams.
 8. Theelectronic device of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor isconfigured to activate a number of antennas selected from the antennaarray in order to determine the first beam width or the second beamwidth.
 9. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the at least oneprocessor is configured to determine a relative distance or a directionbetween the object and the electronic device based on the sequence ofthe first reflected waves.
 10. The electronic device of claim 7, furthercomprising: a housing comprising a first plate facing a first direction,a second plate facing a direction opposite the direction faced by thefirst plate, and a side member surrounding a space between the firstplate and the second plate; and a display exposed through a first partof the first plate; and wherein the camera comprises an image sensordisposed to face the first direction, and the at least one processor isconfigured to include the first regions in a view angle of the imagesensor.
 11. A method of authenticating an object by an electronicdevice, the method comprising: transmitting a sequence of firstdirectional beams having a first beam width to scan first regions havinga first size through an antenna array; receiving a sequence of firstreflected waves generated by reflection of the sequence of the firstdirectional beams from the object through the antenna array;transmitting a sequence of second directional beams having a second beamwidth narrower than the first beam width to scan second regions, whichare included in the first regions and have a second size smaller thanthe first size, through the antenna array based on at least a portion ofthe received sequence of the first reflected waves; receiving a sequenceof second reflected waves generated by reflection of the sequence of thesecond directional beams from the object through the antenna array; andauthenticating the object based on at least a portion of the sequence ofthe second reflected waves.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein thetransmitting of the sequence of the first directional beams comprisesactivating a number of antennas selected from the antenna array in orderto determine the first beam width, and the transmitting of the sequenceof the second directional beams comprises activating a larger number ofantennas than the number of antennas selected from the antenna array inorder to determine the first beam width, in order to determine thesecond beam width.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the transmittingof the sequence of the second directional beams comprises: determining arelative distance or a direction between the object and the electronicdevice based on the received sequence of the first reflected waves;generating the sequence of the second directional beams to betransmitted to the second regions included in the first regions based onthe determined distance and/or direction; and transmitting the generatedsequence of the second directional beams.
 14. The method of claim 11,further comprising including the first regions within a view angle of acamera disposed to face a first direction and guiding the object to bepositioned in the first regions.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein theobject includes a face of a user.
 16. A method of authenticating anobject by an electronic device, the method comprising: sensing abrightness around the electronic device through a sensor module;performing a first object authentication operation through an antennaarray and a wireless communication module when the sensed brightnesslower than a set level; and performing a second object authenticationoperation for authenticating the object through an image acquired by acamera and signals received through the antenna array and the wirelesscommunication module when the sensed brightness is higher than or equalto the set level, wherein the first object authentication operationcomprises: transmitting a sequence of first directional beams having afirst beam width to scan first regions having a first size through theantenna array; receiving a sequence of first reflected waves generatedby reflection of the sequence of the first directional beams from anobject through the antenna array; transmitting a sequence of seconddirectional beams having a second beam width narrower than the firstbeam width to scan second regions, which are included in the firstregions and have a second size smaller than the first size, through theantenna array based on at least a portion of the received sequence ofthe first reflected waves; receiving a sequence of second reflectedwaves generated by reflection of the sequence of the second directionalbeams from the object through the antenna array; and authenticating theobject based on at least a portion of the sequence of the secondreflected waves.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second objectauthentication operation comprises: acquiring at least one image throughthe camera; recognizing the object in the image; transmitting a sequenceof at least one directional beam in a direction of the object throughthe antenna array; receiving a sequence of reflected waves generated byreflection of the sequence of the at least one directional beams fromthe object through the antenna array; and authenticating the objectbased on the recognized object and at least a portion of the sequence ofthe reflected waves from the at least one directional beam.
 18. Themethod of claim 16, wherein the transmitting of the sequence of thefirst directional beams comprises activating a number of antennasselected from the antenna array in order to determine the first beamwidth, and the transmitting of the sequence of the second directionalbeams comprises activating a larger number of antennas than the numberof antennas selected from the antenna array in order to determine thefirst beam width in order to determine the second beam width.
 19. Themethod of claim 16, wherein the transmitting of the sequence of thesecond directional beams comprises: determining a relative distanceand/or a direction between the object and the electronic device based onthe sequence of the first reflected waves; generating the sequence ofthe second directional beams to be transmitted to the second regionsincluded in the first regions based on the determined distance ordirection; and transmitting the generated sequence of the seconddirectional beams.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first objectauthentication operation further comprises setting the first regions tobe included within a view angle of the camera and guiding the object tobe positioned in the first regions.